"This forest...it's so thick..." I kicked away leaves to see more of the path.
The air was heavy and thick with cold air. The dead leaves were crunching beneath my feet, and my breath could be seen in front of my face. I clenched my cloak; a breeze was passing by which made the air even colder. We stopped so suddenly I almost knocked Bilbo over.
"The path! It's gone!" Bofur exclaimed.
"What do you mean it's gone!?" I frantically kicked away leaves to where I hoped would be the path, but all I saw was dirt.
"No...no no..." I turned my head this way and that, searching for any sign of the path.
"Split up and look for it!" Thorin yelled.
I searched this way and that, wanting desperately to find anything that resembled the path. I eventually returned to the spot we were in when we split up.
"No...no...no!" I looked around, turning in circles.
"Sunlight..." I heard Bilbo mutter.
Of course! I immediately began climbing the tree just as Bilbo had already begun to do. Faint noises in the distance could be heard, rustling, and a faint whisper. Something incomprehensible. I followed quickly after Bilbo, rushing up the tree, to poke my head out, the sun blinding me for a few minutes.
"I see it! The mountain!" Bilbo exclaimed, pointing towards the mountain that could barely be seen due to clouds surrounding it.
"Erebor..." I breathed, not wanting the moment of fresh air to end.
I took a final, deep breath of the crisp air, feeling the sunlight's warmth on my face when a sharp rustling echoed through the treetops. It was louder than the usual stirrings of birds or squirrels—closer, heavier, and coming from several directions at once. My heart tightened.
"Bilbo!" I whispered, glancing down just as he lost his footing on a branch, flailing as he slipped through the dense foliage. I stifled a gasp, but before I could call to him, I was forced to brace myself as the branches around her swayed and creaked ominously. A strange, chittering sound reached her ears, growing louder and more unsettling.
Quickly, I began her descent, grasping branches and swinging myself down. The entire forest felt as though it was coming alive, branches clawing at my cloak and leaves falling in thick clouds around me. I touched the ground silently, crouching to listen and stay hidden.
"Bilbo?" I whispered, but there was no response.
The strange chittering grew louder. My eyes scanned the gloom, catching sight of faint, glistening threads tangled in the underbrush—a silken trail leading deeper into the trees. And then, a chilling sight: through the dim light, I could make out the dwarves, each of them wrapped tightly in thick, silken webs, struggling feebly against their bonds as monstrous, spindly legs emerged from the shadows.
I stifled a shudder, watching as a dark, sharp-legged creature advanced toward the helpless dwarves, another skittering down beside it with unnervingly jerky movements. Spiders.I searched the trees for any sign of Bilbo when I heard a piercing shriek emerge from one and watched as its massive body fell to the forest floor.
Bilbo.
I climbed up the tree as quickly as possible, trying to avoid touching any of the spiderwebs in the way. Touching the webs meant certain death, these spiders were so large that I was almost sure a slight movement would not go unchecked.
As I climbed higher, my fingers scraped against the rough bark, my breath coming in sharp bursts. The branches above quivered, and I caught a glimpse of Bilbo struggling against a thick strand of webbing. His sword flashed as he swung wildly, slicing through the sticky threads, but more seemed to cling to him with every movement.
I finally reached Thorin and the other dwarves. I quickly sliced the sticky spiderwebs away and let them fall to the ground. My ears twitched and I turned, piercing a spider in its face with my sword.
Bilbo turned, eyes wide with relief and fear. "Ellowen!"
"No time to talk!" I hissed, slicing through the remaining strands of web holding him.We continued cutting the dwarves free till the last had fallen to the floor. Spiders snapped and hissed at me; I continued cutting them down one by one before dropping to the floor to help the others.
For a moment I looked up, thinking Bilbo was right behind me. When I didn't see him, I began to panic.
I spun around, frantically scanning the chaos. Spiders swarmed from every direction, their grotesque legs clawing at the underbrush as they hissed and chittered. The air felt suffocating with the stench of decay and the oppressive darkness pressing in from all sides.
"Bilbo!" I shouted, but my voice was nearly drowned out by the deafening skitter of legs and the clash of steel as the dwarves fought valiantly against the swarm.
I turned back to the tree where Bilbo had been and saw the faint glint of his sword—a small figure darting through the trees. He's alive. A wave of relief washed over me, but it was short-lived.
Spiders continued to swarm around us, fighting back was of no use at this point. They just kept coming.
"We can't hold them off much longer!" Bofur shouted, his mattock barely slowing the tide.
Just as despair began to creep in, a sharp whistle cut through the air. It was followed by the unmistakable twang of bowstrings. Arrows rained down with precision, piercing the grotesque bodies of the spiders. One by one, the creatures shrieked and retreated into the shadows.I turned toward the source of the arrows, my chest heaving. From the darkness of the forest emerged figures clad in green and gold, their movements fluid and deadly. Elves. Their sharp features and silver eyes gleamed in the dim light as they moved with an effortless grace, dispatching the last of the spiders.
Elves surrounded us as the last of the spiders were killed off. The dwarves instinctively made a circle around me. Being the only woman (and elf), I felt a little out of place but was also slightly irritated by the fact they thought I was helpless and needed protecting.
A ginger-haired she-elf pushed a few of the dwarves to the side and said something to me in Elvish.
"Am I supposed to know what you said?" I stared blankly at her, quite confused what was happening.
"You...don't know what I said?" She gave me a confused stare.
"No, I don't," I shook my head.
"Interesting... you're an elf, right? Why don't you know what I'm saying?" Her voice held a skeptical edge to it.
"I... never...learned..." I shifted and began to feel uncomfortable under all the elves' gaze.She turned to a blonde elf, saying something to him in Elvish.
"Bind them," He commanded.
I barely had time to react before an elf slipped behind me, twisting my arms back and binding my wrists with a firm but surprisingly gentle grip.
"Wait!" I shouted, struggling against the bonds. "We haven't done anything wrong!"The elf holding me remained silent, his expression unreadable.
"Tell that to King Thranduil," the lead elf said, his tone devoid of emotion. "He will decide what to do with you."
As the elves began to lead us deeper into the forest, I caught a glimpse of what I thought to be a deer, though the golden hue of its antlers was ethereal. I was forced to keep moving, only hoping Bilbo would be safe.
For now.
